Analysis of Limerick: There was an Old Man of the Dee

Edward Lear 1812 (Holloway) – 1888 (Sanremo)



There was an Old Man of the Dee,
Who was sadly annoyed by a flea;
When he said, 'I will scratch it,'
They gave him a hatchet,
Which grieved that Old Man of the Dee.


Scheme AABCA
Poetic Form Tetractys  (40%)
Cinquain  (20%)
Metre 11111101 111001101 1111111 111010 11111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 168
Words 38
Sentences 2
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 5
Lines Amount 5
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 122
Words per stanza (avg) 35
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

11 sec read
114

Edward Lear

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author and poet, and is known now mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised. more…

All Edward Lear poems | Edward Lear Books

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